Chocolate Mangoes
by TheMusicMistress
Summary: Somehow Katara and Zuko find each other in a forest, get seduced by a love potion, and do some very naughty things...a two chapter story of the power of lust.
1. The Potion

Chocolate Mangoes

By: TheMusicMistress

Summary: Katara and Zuko get seduced by a love potion…short, two chapter story of pure lust. Please, no kids!

OooO

_ It's just a little tea, he says. It will in no way affect your ability to command this ship, carry on a logical conversation, or walk in a relatively straight line, he says._

He should've just stayed suspicious from the start.

When Iroh proposed to Zuko, in that ever wily way of his, that they were having another music night aboard the ship, Zuko was quick to _dis_involve himself from any part of it. Zuko knew fully well what entailed with music night: it would start with the men forcing odd shaped instruments into his hands, begging him to play his _ever beautiful_ love sonnet, and end with him either melting said instruments, throwing a couple of men off board, or maybe even both if he was in an especially irate mood. And because Zuko was aware of his short temper (and also that the men just happened to be running out of musical instruments due to his tendency to reduce them to golden _puddles_) he wisely declined when Iroh asked him to join in.

"Oh, Zuko, you don't know what you're missing," Iroh said coaxingly as he dragged out what was left of the instruments. He picked up a ruan, a moon-shaped lute, and held it in his lap. "Ah, do you remember this ruan? When you were a boy—"

"I'm not coming," Zuko cut off before his uncle could fill his head with guilty reminiscences. It was bad enough that Iroh always insisted on bringing up past occurrences. It was even worse when he started to talk about Zuko's dead life in the palace.

Iroh carefully hefted a giant konghou, a Chinese harp, away from the pile. He tested it's strings. "Really, I insist that you do come. We have some fresh, riveting new material tonight—"

Zuko's eyebrow twitched for a moment, eyeing his uncle carefully.

"Uncle, if that is a code to say you bought a prostitute—"

Crow feet appeared around Iroh's crinkled eyes. He looked too smug for Zuko to handle, so with a dirty look Zuko turned away from him to stare at the wall. "You are too much, Zuko. I wouldn't _dream_ of doing such a thing."

Zuko was pretty sure that his uncle did more than just dream about such things, but he kept his mouth shut.

"New material or not, there's nothing that could make me come up there." Did his voice sound a little funny? Maybe. After all, for the first time Zuko had actually jumped to a completely _perverse_ conclusion. Iroh was having more of a negative effect on him than he thought…

Oh, screw his Uncle.

Iroh smiled. "Oh, I could think of a few things that _would_."

Zuko frowned in return. "And what would those be?"

"A captured Avatar? With his friends? Or perhaps the Avatar all tied up, hanging from his—"

"Not working, Uncle."

They had docked in a village a few nights before to get refueled and restocked. The Avatar was supposedly staying in the village too. It was ironic that they had yet to meet up, and even more ironic that even with this knowledge Zuko had made no move as of yet to capture Aang. Truth be told, he had been delaying such actions; he was damned tired and he felt thirty years older than he really was. It was nice, for once, to just have to think about whether to sleep in black or red pants instead of calculating how to capture a bald airbender. And he'd be damned if he let his uncle bait him with false Avatar claims now, of all times.

"Well, how about a special visitor, say, Jun—"

"I'd rather cut off my leg," Zuko deadpanned. Just thoughts of the black haired, purple-lipped woman made him want to tear his skin off. He swore, if he ever had to come within a few feet of her again…much less hear her prattle about how his waterbender "girlfriend" was just too pretty for him…ugh.

'_I wonder what the water peasant is up to now…'_

Zuko hoped that his cold tone would turn his uncle off of this subject all together, but unfortunately it just edged him on.

"Do you remember that story I told you about my escapades with that one beautiful water-bender…"

"_Uncle."_ How Iroh managed to turn their conversation to _that_, he'd never know.

Iroh chuckled at his nephew's tense shoulders. Really, the poor boy got so flustered when it came to talking about such _things_ and he didn't even seem to realize it.

"It was a night like this, I remember precisely—"

"I would rather not hear this—"

Iroh winked at him. "You need to embrace life more. You're so uptight and frustrated."

Zuko gave his uncle a sidelong glance. "What the hell does listening to your sex stories have to do with embracing life?"

If anything, listening to his stories was more like embracing _death_. Slow, painful, unusually torturous death.

His uncle was trying to turn the situation around and gave him an innocent look. "Who said anything about sex?"

"You did."

"No I didn't."

Zuko threw his hands up in the air. "Well you implied it!" He snarled, his palms heating up. For the love of Agni…

His uncle gave him a sly look. "You know, Zuko, when a man's mind is in the gutter, well, it usually means—"

"Uncle," he quipped sharply. "It means _nothing_."

And besides, who said his mind was in the gutter? He was as unsoiled and spotless as uh…as the side of his ship.

Which reminded him, they probably needed to get that cleaned…

Lately Zuko had been feeling stressed, agitated, and as if he was missing _something_, but he didn't think that anybody else had noticed. He went around his daily activities as usual—which at the moment consisted only of sleeping, barking out orders, and pissing—and he completely believed that his crew was none the wiser about their Prince's state. Because really, Zuko was a wreck on the inside. He felt like there was a nasty, gaping crater where his innards should be, and it was all he could do to occasionally belittle his crew members just to help relieve the pressure valve. He felt like he'd been doing a stellar job of covering up his soulless body, but now here his uncle was, insinuating that he was _sex deprived!?_

Hmph. As if.

Well, sorta.

"—a young boy is like tea—" His uncle was saying.

Everything is like tea to you, uncle.

Zuko nodded his head, listening to how a man needed to be seeped and cared for and then slowly heated to perfection. After that Iroh's descriptions turned for the worse as he started to speak of "drinking the boy", so Zuko decided to tune him out completely.

"So you see—"

"Just keep pulling out those instruments, Uncle," Zuko said. Then the stomped off while Iroh chuckled knowingly.

OooO

"Bleedin' hogmonkies!" Sokka screeched as he threw his hands into the air.

"That was your last try," the vender said with a toothless grin. "Just give up, boy. You're not getting that prize."

Sokka fumed. He quickly dug around in his pouch, trying to grasp onto more coins. To his dismay, his pouch just so happened to be as empty as his stomach.

"Oh, of all the things—" Sokka glanced over to the side, where Katara and Aang had been reduced to sitting on a couple of crates as they waited for him to vent out his feelings with the vender and his carnival games. His eyes particularly zoned in on his sister and her apathetic face. She looked close to falling asleep right there on her ass. And my, my, my, her money pouch looked rather fat and impressionable….

"Katara!" Sokka barked, breaking her out of her stupor. She blushed, quickly wiping away the drool that may or may not have been slipping past her lips out of exhaustion. "Give me your money!"

Katara's expression changed from sleepy befuddlement to anger. She glanced quickly at the sun and the people wandering around the streets. How long had they been there? If Sokka was asking her for money then that meant he must've burned a hole through his own pocket…she glared at him. How dare he spend their precious money on _games_!

"No," she said sharply. Sokka's mouth dropped in his own response of anger, but Katara was not moved. "No, Sokka! We've been here for probably _hours!_ And we need this money to get food! And feed Appa!" She motioned to the end of the marketplace out toward the forest, where a large bison was laying on his stomach and twiddling his nose hairs and waiting for food. They were all becoming thin and starving, and here her brother was, trying to get some stupid romantic potion or whatever it was.

_ It attracts all the ladies. Yeah right. He couldn't even get Momo to kiss him._

"Katara," he said, as if getting this potion with unknown and possibly hazardous side effects was the most logical thing in the world. "I _need_ this potion." He looked her up and down with a critical eye then, as if he was contemplating something. "You probably need it too."

Aang had just fallen asleep on her shoulder and was making snoring, snorting noises into her ear. "What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed indignantly, trying to keep her voice down for the young airbender. "I could get a _million_ more guys than you!"

"I'd like to hope so," he snapped back. He glanced back at the vender—damn him—and watched as the man taunted him by counting his barrels of coins right in front of the water warrior. If there was one thing Sokka couldn't stand, it was being taunted. And Katara knew that too.

Sokka, his future love life balancing on this, quickly knelt in front of his sister. Time to pull out the puppy dog eyes.

"Please, Katara." His eyes were two deep blue oceans about to burst. "This potion gives the wearer an _alluring_ scent that barely any human can resist. Don't you want to try it, for once?" And then the low blow. "Aren't you tired of attracting guys like Jet?"

"I'm not going to wear something that's going to make me smell like a porcu-skunk," Katara said evasively, but Sokka knew her better than that. He could see her waning. And he _definitely _saw her flinch at the name of Jet. He should've known that bringing up the old scoundrel would open up some sort of floodgate.

Katara's face was a look of indecision. Inside Sokka cheered.

Man, was his sister a sap.

Sad, she'd probably be used and tricked her whole life…

"You might even meet that 'powerful bender' that that batty old fortune teller told you about," he wheedled, remember how his sister wouldn't shut up about that for three days straight. And if there was one thing that Katara was, it was a hopeless romantic.

Instantly he saw something change in her eyes. She let out a deep sigh, recognizing her own defeat. She knew that her brother was playing her and that her money would be down the drain in a matter of minutes, but something kept her from refusing. Maybe it was Sokka's provocative words. Or maybe Katara really wanted to meet someone that mattered for once, even if it was a fake relationship brought on by a potion.

"I hate you," she said halfheartedly as she handed him a few coins.

"Sah-weet!" Sokka hollered as he latched onto the money. Aang was not ruffled from his slumber even by his outburst. "Don't worry sis, I'm going to get that potion for m—uh, you and me!" He winked at her.

Katara sighed.

"That's what I'm worried about," she muttered.

OooO

Zuko lay in his bed, slipping in and out of coherency. His body was tired, his brain was tired, the goddamn hairs in his topknot were tired. And yet he stayed awake, alert, bothered by all the aggravating thoughts in his mind.

If someone had given him some sleeping potion to knock the lights out of him, he would've gladly accepted it. If somebody had offered him a way to shut his uncle up and perhaps dump all of his precious tea into a flaming lava pit, he'd probably take that too. Thanks to his uncle's insinuations, Zuko was bordering on insomnia. Even a fully rested Zuko was a cranky one. A Zuko with little or no sleep was a hell to behold.

To make matters worse, Zuko knew for a fact that every ten minutes or so a crew member would walk up to his door, pause for nearly five minutes, and then go shambling away. He didn't know whether this was at the request of his uncle or if they were just doing this for their own damn amusement, but after the fifth time Zuko didn't give a flying bat shit. It took slightly longer for the sixth man to come around, but by that time Zuko was ready for him.

Zuko clenched his fist around his doorknob and flung it wide open. There stood one of his inferiors, his fist raised as if about to knock and his face a mirror of terror. Obviously they had drawn straws for this, with the first man to go being the luckiest. Everyone _knew_ that after about the third time their Prince would get ticked off and look for some retribution.

"The hell do you want?" Zuko snarled at him, his whole body heating up. One of his hands was resting on the side of the metal wall, and the crewmate watched nervously as the metal beneath his hands slowly but surely began to melt. He couldn't help but be almost entranced by it….but he must've taken too long to answer, because suddenly Zuko's red-hot hand curled into a fist, effectively distorting the metal into a twisted heap.

"_Why the fuck do you keep coming to my door?_"

The crewmate shyly put his hands behind his back. "W-well, your highness, t-technically it wasn't me the past—"

"What?" Zuko intervened. "What, _for the past five fucking times_?"

Now the crewmate looked sheepish. Zuko hated that look. Absolutely despised it. And he didn't know whether it was because of his uncle's comments or because of all the stress that had been building up over days, but suddenly he wanted to fry this man's head like a broiled egg.

"Don't look at me like that," Zuko roared. "You fuckin—"

"Zuko!" Iroh was walking slowly down the hallway, his hands tucked in his sleeves. "My boy, do not be angry with Kaj. Or Lee. Or Muro—"

Zuko turned suddenly on his uncle. Good thing for Kaj, too, because there was already a rather large puddle of silver door metal at Prince Zuko's feet.

"Uncle! Why did you send them down here!?" Zuko felt like hurling a barrage of insults and cusses at his uncle, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to sever his ties with probably the only person that cared about him; that, and he was pretty sure Iroh could kick his ass.

"Look at you, Prince Zuko," Iroh said instead. "You look so pale. You need to get out once and a while." He sighed. "I thought that maybe if I sent a few men to come and lure you out it would be all right." He glanced at Kaj. "But apparently none of them worked up the courage to actually knock on your door."

Zuko breathed deeply and steam bellowed out his nose. His golden eyes were ablaze with irritation. Iroh did not fret though, for he knew this was all a pretense. Not maybe people knew it, but Zuko was a big fat marshmallow. He just acted arrogantly because of what his father did to him. Really though, Zuko was just a regular guy…sort of.

"Come Zuko," Iroh said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. It was stiff and hotter than normal, but Zuko didn't shrug him off.

"I'm only doing this so you'll leave me alone," Zuko warned.

Iroh waggled his eyebrows at him. "That's what they all say…"

OooO

Katara sat sullenly at the dinner table, shoving her food this way and that on her plate. Sokka sat next to her, laughing obnoxiously and smelling like a tub of perfume. Sokka was flanked by two girls who were giggling airily at every word he said. Katara pointedly ignored them.

Aang sat on her other side, happily popping some cheesy-looking balls into his mouth. If there was, at any point, a time when he futilely tried to get her attention and maybe get her to smile at him…well, she didn't notice. She was too busy being pissed off at her brother to notice anything, really.

They had been lucky that the village folk were kind enough to accommodate the Avatar and his friends. If it wasn't for their graciousness, they would be out begging on the street; worse, stealing. And even though Sokka had apologized numerous times for taking _all _of her money before finally securing his prize, she was keen on staying upset. She couldn't get over the fact that he was willing to risk all their change for some dumb, worthless love potion.

Was she bitter? Of course not. And yet Katara couldn't help but notice how her mood took a turn for the worst when Sokka started to act all lovey-dovey with a woman. Even when Aang got his share of tween stalkers she couldn't help but feel envious and irate. Maybe it was that she was too overprotective of the men in her life to admit it. Or maybe she was just jealous because somehow she knew she'd only be, forever and always, a jerk magnet.

Katara glanced at the girl sitting beside her. She had hair like a horse and a demeanor that implied she cared more about the head between Sokka's legs rather than the one on his shoulders. When Katara leaned back to get a look at the other girl, she got an eyeful of balefully puckered lips and more cleavage than she was use to. Katara sighed, realizing that if Sokka had randomly picked up two tramps off the side of the road, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Sokka had left the potion bottle carelessly out in the open, and Katara couldn't help feel indignant for the way he treated it. The potion was the reason they were nearly broke, after all, and even if she hated it, he could at least treat his 'investment' with more respect.

As she stared at the bottle on the table, contemplating whether to put it in her pouch or chuck it out the window, Katara became _aware _of the potion. The potion seemed to have a way with playing with her mind, because the purple depths suddenly had her imagining men who desired her, men who wanted to give her the world, men who wanted to ravage her on the spot—

"That potion works well," Aang commented beside her. She snapped abruptly out of her reverie.

"Not you too, Aang," she groaned. She turned to him fully and put a finger in the air. "You listen. Those girls aren't _real_." Aang gave her a skeptical look. "Whaddaya mean?" he queried.

"They're trollops."

"Fish?"

"What? No!" Katara glanced around the room, as if there were a translator waiting to jump in. She sighed and finally leaned in closer to Aang, and whispered, "They're sluts."

Aang's mouth hung open for a second. Then he flushed a deep mahogany. He blubbered incomprehensibly.

"Katara, you—"

For some reason, on that night, his naivety irritated her beyond all reason. It was if, for the first time, she was realizing that Aang was just a twelve year old boy. Not just that, but also that she needed some female companions. She was a growing teen, after all, and she couldn't even mention her monthly cycle without both Sokka and Aang turning useless and bumbling. If she couldn't even say _slut_ without getting an awkward stare…well obviously she needed to find more mature company.

On a whim, Katara suddenly grabbed the potion, deciding that she wasn't going to let their money go to waste. She was sloshing it around when Sokka's hand shot out to her wrist, painful and vice-like.

"Cut that out!"

"I'm not doing anything _wrong_."

'You're going to throw it out, aren't you?" The potion seemed to have escalated his emotions, and he was speaking in an intensely passionate voice. Of course, that also meant that he was much more volatile.

"No! You said it was for the both of us—"

'Well I changed my mind!"

A timid voice broke them up. "Hey, guys, you should stop fighting. You'll make a scene. Besides, Katara wasn't doing anything wrong…" Aang put his hands up in a placating manner, acting as the ever-present mediator between the two.

Sokka frowned at Katara, but listened to Aang's words. He let go of her wrist with a huff. "Fine, "he muttered, turning back to his female "friends". "Have it your way."

"I will," Katara said, impulsively feeling like she had to have the last word in. Sokka didn't respond by making it clear that he was immersed with the girls.

Well, that was fine with her. Her brother could be such a prick sometimes.

"Thanks Aang," she said blankly, her mind still resting on the potion and how she suddenly hated its purpley, sloshy guts.

"Anytime," Aang said sincerely, beaming at her. She gave him a brief smile, so fast that he almost missed it. Then she returned to flicking around her food, oblivious to the boy desperately trying to win her over.

Meanwhile Katara was thinking about the potion. She had vehemently denied using it, but the temptation of just trying it was hard to ignore. What was the worst that could happen? Sokka didn't smell _bad_, just fruity. So far, he hadn't shown signs of an adverse rash or (relative) insanity either. The only thing that had changed was that suddenly he was bagging the most beautiful (or the easiest, Katara wasn't sure how to classify _those_ girls) females in town like it was nothing.

She quickly flicked her eyes up, scanning the crowd for a boy. There was one a few feet away from her, quietly eating a salad and smiling genially at his parents. Nice enough, right? Katara tried to imagine herself with him like how Sokka was with the girls (minus the sluttiness). He'd smile at her with a gorgeous grin, ask her every few minutes if she was enjoying the food, and maybe even kiss her at the end of the night.

The image was enough to nearly make Katara relent and make up with Sokka. She was stubborn though, and she didn't want to directly apologize to get what she wanted. She didn't want to just grab the potion again either and risk another argument. She thought about it for a few seconds, but came up with nothing.

I'm a hopeless coward. She sighed and returned to her food. She had her fork halfway to her mouth when she heard her brother say rather loudly, "The only guys you could ever attract are dicks anyways, so there's no point in trying to use it."

She sputtered and her food flew out of her mouth. _Hey!_ Never mind that it was probably true—he had absolutely no right saying that out loud! And they had already called a "truce"!

Aang had his hands up in a placating manner and he was saying something but Katara wasn't listening.

Next to Sokka the female was giggling as if he'd just uttered some insanely hilarious joke.

She was angry at her brother but she knew that if she began to argue with him it would be a never-ending feud. He was partially intoxicated and she didn't want Aang to witness her mutilating her brother. So she did the only thing that she could.

She made a sudden grab for his potion, with the intention of chucking it over the closest cliff. Even a little hazy, Sokka quickly caught onto the glint in her eye and resisted. The siblings soon found themselves in a wrestling match for the bottle, with Sokka's hand clawing at her shoulder and Katara's foot nearly into his mouth. Aang was yelling in the background. For some reason Katara believed that Sokka's girls were cheering.

Their struggles had made the potion swig violently in its jar, and Katara began to notice.

"Sokka—" she tried to cry, but his elbow was about to hit her face and she had to shift out of the way to avoid it. He didn't hear or acknowledge her.

Her eyes widened as Sokka gave a sharp jolt toward her and suddenly the bottle tipped toward her face. Everything seemed to slow down as the potion slid out of the bottle.

The feeling of the cold liquid all over her clothes and face was immediate. She gave a cry as a pungent, fruity smell filled her nostrils. All of a sudden the bottle was empty and the potion was all over _her_.

"_SOKKA!_" She screeched.

Sokka looked just as upset. He looked at her with an accusatory stare. "_You _wasted it!" he cried.

"Me!?" she snapped back. "You!" She shoved her finger into his face. "This is all your fault!"

The smell was quickly getting into her brain and it was becoming harder and harder for her to think straight. The potion was slowly cornering her reason and locking it up in a small, dark cage. And unfortunately, it seemed that logic wasn't going to be coming back for a while…

Aang was tugging on her sleeve, talking to her, but he seemed far away. She waved him off.

She needed air. She needed to _breathe_. She felt like she was frickin' _suffocating._

She got up without another word and picked her way across the bodies sprawled on pillows on the floor or milling around the food tables. The air outside was warm but not muggy. They were close to the equator and even though she wasn't normally use to the heat, for once she was grateful for it this night.

Thankfully Sokka didn't follow her. She didn't know how much she would have emasculated him if he had.

Laughter and chatter and warmth were behind her in the hall and in front of her sprawled a huge dark forest. Somewhere among the leaning trunks she saw the glitter of water. A river.

It was so much more tempting to lose herself in a strange environment than go back into the house and face the accusations of her brother and the laughter of those infuriating hoochies. And at least if there was a river she'd have a chance to shed her clothes and attempt to get some of the smell off of her.

So off she went, wandering into the forest…

OooO

Some way or another Zuko ended up drinking some of his uncle's tea.

Zuko barely ever drank tea—it was a girly drink, after all—so when he first sipped it and was hit with a strong, bitter taste, he didn't think much of it. It wasn't until the outline of his uncle's body started to grow hazy that he began to slowly realize that maybe his uncle had slipped a little rum in. On _accident_, of course.

Suddenly he didn't remember much of what he had said to his uncle prior to the drink. He recalled some small talk about the Avatar and more of Iroh's babbling about Jun, but aside from that there was a fuzzy hole in his memory.

Zuko put his hand on the low table in front of him, needing to feel something solid and real. He felt like he was losing his mind and it was making him utterly open—and if there was one thing that Prince Zuko hated, it was being put in a state of vulnerability.

Iroh was patting him on the back and Zuko shouldered him away. Zuko just wanted to get back to bed. Zuko unfolded his legs and shot up. He stood up too quickly, too suddenly though, and his eyes watered. Holy hell, the whole world was turning upside down.

"Yo majezty, yu shud reallie shit down," the men told him, even more hammered than he was. He groaned, wanting to smack them, to smash their fucking skulls in at the moment, but he was too busy trying to keep his wits about him.

He managed to stay upright after Iroh stood to hold him by the elbow. Zuko nodded to him after a minute or so, telling him vaguely that he was going to take a walk. Sleep was weighing heavily on his mind, but he feared barfing all over his sheets if he didn't clear his head and stretch out his muscles first.

"All right," Iroh said uncertainly. Zuko wavered a bit. Maybe he had given him a little _too _much rum. He was only attempting to get his uptight nephew to have fun and enjoy the night, but apparently Zuko had an extremely low tolerance for alcohol. Only a small cup and Zuko was practically reeling.

The prince walked off the ship without falling on his ass, his uncle's warning of not to wander too far echoing in the background. Not many people filled the streets, which was probably good since Zuko was feeling a little too antagonistic at the moment. Instead he opted for the forest, a dark deserted haven where he could wander for a while and maybe even dunk his brain in some water. It was much needed—the rum made him feel absolutely fried.

Also, there was an intoxicating scent floating from the forest that had nothing to do with the alcohol. It more than piqued Zuko's curiosity…

_'The hell am I thinking'_. The only thing that ruled Zuko was his mind, much less his nose. He glanced up at the sky. Curiosity be damned…if he wandered too far, in his state, he might never make it back to the ship in one piece.

So he set the alluring scent aside, but still…he needed to find some water. He was _parched_.

OooO

Katara's eyes darted around nervously. Someone was clomping loudly through the forest, and it sounded as if they were coming closer. Katara wasn't seriously alarmed (no one dangerous could ever walk that drunkenly, she thought), but still, with her current _state_, she was rather uncomfortable with any sort of confrontation.

Unless it was her brother coming out to look for her, of course. Then her "state" be damned, she'd give him one good whipping.

_'You'd like that, wouldn't you?'_ The potion had developed it's own voice through her subconscious. She groaned and ignored it.

She had her arm slung across her bare chest, the rest of her body submerged in the water. She was completely submerged in her element and it was nighttime, so she doubted she'd be caught at a disadvantage, but still…she was _naked_. And as the wanderer started to make more noise and crash around even more riotously, Katara became more and more convinced that it was not her brother, but a complete stranger.

She silently formed a water whip in her right hand.

OooO

'_Oh fuck_,' was Zuko's only intelligible thought as he missed the glaring boulder sitting in his path and tripped over it. This started a chain reaction of him tripping and twisting between gnarled tree roots and uneven levels of ground. It ended with a sharp twist of his ankle, and suddenly he found himself face down in the dirt.

"Damnit," he grunted, spitting. To hell with the disgusting town and it's ugly, useless citizens. Once he got the next chance he would rally his fire troops and burn the treacherous forest to the ground. Then he'd take the boulder that originally created his domino effect and hurl it at Avatar's skull.

He sighed, realizing all of his talk was useless if he was drunkenly lying in a forest with no direction of left and right, up and down. His head was spinning and slowly all of his thoughts faded away.

The smell of fruit, sweet and forbidden, still permeated the forest. It seemed the more he fell and tripped around the more powerful it became for him. It was undoubtedly having an effect on his psyche as he entertained dropping everything and pursuing the one thing that smelled mouthwateringly delicious.

It was probably more prudent to stay seated and ride out his nausea, but his throat was growing more painful by the second. And with the added irritation of dirt on his tongue, he really, really wanted water.

That, and he _wanted_ that scent.

Slowly Zuko stood up, leaning heavily on a tree trunk. Then, _slowly_, he began to pick his way through the forest.

He made little noise.

OooO

All was silent in Katara's little alcove. Whoever had been tramping around in the forest had either left, fallen asleep, or died. In any case, they were not around to see Katara in her state of undress and she was free to continue her bathing.

And she _definitely _needed a bath. Aside from just being plain filthy from riding on Appa for so long (yes, even bird poop reached her from up there), so had the love potion to rub off of her skin.

The love potion seemed like a hopeless case, though. It wasn't just on her skin; it was _in _her skin. It had, for she didn't know how long, wound itself into her whole being.

But did it really work? Katara had a hard time believing that. The vendor had boasted that just a tiny drop will get the opposite sex enamored with him/her. So from the dosage that Katara got, and if the vendor was right, she should've been fighting off advances from even her brother. But no such thing happened. Not even Aang had looked a little doe-eyed when she had sprung on Sokka. And definitely no other guy had jumped in to restrain her.

Her theory was practically conclusive now:

Permanent Jerk Magnet.

Maybe if Jet had been there…

'_You could do much better than him,' the_ potion crooned to her. She laughed sarcastically.

She floated around in the water for a moment, and her thoughts became lax. It seemed that the potion took opportunities like that, because suddenly she felt a little restless. Even more noticeable, her modesty had gone for a water break and standing naked suddenly didn't have as much of an effect on her as it should've. It was almost as if…as if she would be caught by the whole fire nation, even, it wouldn't bother her. Somehow, the potion made her feel so incredibly _desirable _that no one would dare to do anything other to her than—

Her hand had grown lax on her water whip, almost dissolving it completely. So when a figure materialized just beyond the line of bushes in front of her, she was well in for a scare.

The potion released it's grip promptly and she was back on earth, her only thought to extricate the pervert from the midst. How dare they—and with a naked female around, too!

Her whip solidified between her delicate fingers and she lashed it out, elongating it so it reached far enough to get a hold of the figure. She had a secure grip on the person's—and she assumed now it was a man—ankle, and with a flick of her wrist she tossed him forward.

OooO

Zuko honestly thought he was the victim that night. First, his uncle had the gall to intoxicate him with his stupid, piss tea. Then he incurred the wrath of the Boulder and Forest gods and took a large tumble through their even stupider, pissier environment. Then, to top it all off, as he was innocently looking for water, a Waterbender—with an oh-_too- _familiar looking water whip—latched onto his ankle and dunked him right in.

The impact with the water—a complete belly flop—was so sudden and complete that Zuko's already fuzzy mind went into overload. A bright light flashed in his vision and slowly it became an obsidian black.

He couldn't pull himself out of the water.

"Fuck…"

The last thing he smelled was the fruit.

OooO

For one millisecond she believed that she had just served sound justice to who she believed was a peeping Tom.

Then, in the next second, when she realized that the man lying face down in the water wasn't moving, it dawned on her that if she didn't do something she could possibly be a murderer.

"Hey!" she called out, cautious at first that he was faking it. His body was immobile though, and it was slowly sinking. How long did it take for brain damage to set in?

Forgetting about her lack of clothes, she propelled herself through the water, splashing hurriedly up to his prone body. She got a good hold on his middle and managed to flip him over so that he was on his back and not filling his lungs with water. She thought she deserved a pat on the back for such an act, but one look at his face caused her to scream and let go of the hold she had on the front of his shirt.

It was _Zuko_. _Price _Zuko. Mr. I'm-Going-To-Kill-The-World's-Hero-And-Cackle-While-I-Do-It.

His body slid below the surface of the water and for a moment she considered letting him sink to the bottom. It would be easy, like dropping a rock into the ocean. That's all he was really worth to her, wasn't he? Just a rock.

Katara was not a killer though, no matter how passive his death might have been on her part. As much as she hated Zuko, hated him for making her life a living hell, hated him for feeling nervous whenever she saw the spark of fire, she just couldn't bring herself to just let him sink down as if he was nothing.

After all, he was human.

A human that wasn't a too-bad looking teenager either.

Her hand shot out and wrapped itself around his collar, buoying him back up to the surface. His chest and head rose out of the surface, but his arms and legs hung downward like ropes.

She sighed. So much for leaving him for dead.

"Hey," she called for the second time that night to him. She used her other hand to nudge his shoulder, not feeling like she had the liberty to touch his face. When he, again, didn't answer, a small panic reflex was awoken within her. After getting over an initial fear, Katara leaned down and put her ear closely to his mouth.

A small breath fanned across her cheek. No mouth-to-mouth needed, that was for sure…

'_Pity'._

Katara pulled him closer, partially out of maternal instincts. She had his back up against her chest, ready to haul him to shore, when she realized that he was pressed against her _bare_ chest, and that if he awoke he would be very aware of that fact.

So with a yelp, she plopped him back down into the water (if not by accident). His lifeless body folded before her, and she had to mentally slap herself before grabbing him again and pulling him back into a half-standing, half crouching position.

She couldn't help but think, what would she have done if the potion had taken control of her again? Would she have leaned into him? She wasn't ready to find that out yet.

As she pulled his body closer to the shore, she began to notice subtle things that she never would've realized before. Like, Zuko's waist was a lot trimmer and harder than she would've originally thought. And that his ponytail smelled like jasmine tea, whether he was aware of that or not. The most mollifying of all though was how Katara noticed that every brush of his clothes against her bare skin caused an electrifying jolt to travel from the point of contact to right between her legs.

A considerable blush was tinting her cheeks now. She suddenly felt awfully perverted and it was all she could do from keeping her mind from straying in the danger zone. This was her _enemy _after all, and no matter how good his body felt against hers…

A small groan in front of her stilled her movements and she had half a mind to just leave him and run.

"Mmmguhs," he seemed to say. Then he coughed up a handful of water and settled into silence. Katara stilled, careful not to make any movement. Was he delusional? It was possible…she did leave him floating in the water for longer than normal…

He said the unintelligible word again, but by then Katara had already dismissed it. Maybe "mmmguhs" was a person. How would she know? The last thing she needed was getting too involved with the half drowned Prince and getting to know what he was thinking.

But he persisted. "Mangoes," he repeated, slowly, and with conviction. As if something had just dawned on it again, he repeated it.

Katara nearly convinced herself that if she didn't move or talk or breathe, he wouldn't realize she was there and continue to rant about fruits.

I'll just leave him on the shore, she thought. Just lay him next to the lake, get dressed, and leave.

As she was thinking she failed to see that Zuko had regained control of his limbs and was currently inching his right hand to the juncture between her legs.

"EEP!" she squealed when he finally reached his destination. Was he—did he really—oh heavens! He was!

Inside she was more than angry at him. Had he been faking his unconsciousness? Was this how the cruel prince got his rocks off, fingering unsuspecting girls in lakes? Oh, she couldn't even _begin_ to describe how angry she felt…

She swiftly grabbed his hand and pressed it to his own chest, trying to teach him that his hand did not belong _there_. No sooner had she done that though that his other hand found itself in the same spot, which was feeling surprisingly warm at the moment.

"Zuko!" she hissed. "Keep your hands to—"

Suddenly he pulled away from her, still managing to keep his hand firmly clamped over her private, despite her attempts to wretch it away.

"I don't know why," he began, standing uncomfortably close to her naked form. It was becoming increasingly difficult to cover her breasts and at the same time keep his hands away from her feminine place. "But I want to put my hands all over you."

Maybe because he had just figured out that the smell was coming from her. She was completely drenched in it. And now that he was so close all he wanted to do was to _taste _the smell.

Katara flushed. Did he…really just say that? _Zuko_ Since when was he such a…Casanova? Of course, Katara didn't know much about him to begin with, but he had never shown any romantic—or sexual—interest in her before.

"I'm sorry," she stuttered, wondering why _she_ was apologizing. He, after all, was the one touching her sex and invading her personal space. "This is really inappro—"

"Why do you smell so _good_?" he growled, as if trying to figure it out himself. "I can't…what're you doing to me, girl?"

Smell? '_Oh no.__ Please, I thought I had washed it all off!' _

The potion crowed at her. _ 'You can't get rid of me, sweetie! Not until you fulfill your fantasy…'_

Fantasy? What fantasy? Surely it wouldn't be to sleep with Zuko!

But still…the potion worked after all…and now Zuko had one thing on his mind for her.

Katara didn't want to be raped in the forest by her enemy. She didn't—

"Ahh," she said, when Zuko became bolder and started rubbing her…well, _the place_. "I—" Suddenly the potion overcame her. "_Do it some more._"

Urgh. She had no control over herself when the potion kicked in. It was affecting both of them.

"You smell like mangoes," he told her. "And I want you."

Katara flushed. How did she get into this situation? All because of a fight with her brother?

She just didn't know what to do…

OooO

Author's Note: Next chapter is all of the dirty good stuff…


	2. Chocolate Mangoes

Chocolate Mangoes

By: TheMusicMistress

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I redid it so many times and I'm still not satisfied with it. So I apologize in advance, because I knew it's very uneven…

This is the last chapter of this very short story, so please enjoy!

OooO

The potion crowed at her. '_You can't get rid of me, sweetie! Not until you fulfill your fantasy…'_

Fantasy? What fantasy? Surely it wouldn't be to sleep with Zuko!

"I'm sorry," she repeated for the umpteenth time that night. It was a ridiculous notion—that she had to apologize every time she pushed away his hands from touching her too much, but for some reason she felt as if it was her own burden. She'd said before that Zuko had never shown any real interest in her before. That meant that he was being _forced_ to act out on what Katara supposed had to be her "hidden fantasy".

Right?

Katara tried to wrack her brains for a time when Zuko gave off any semblance of attraction for her.

Well, there was that one time he tied her to a tree and taunted her—possible foreplay? But no, she shook her head vehemently. She was positive he had nothing on his mind then but capturing the Avatar. He had _acted _nice then, but he wasn't relishing in it. Jerk.

No, she honestly couldn't think of any time when he showed any interest in her. And the closest they came to touching was when they managed to negate each other's attacks enough to come within a hair's reach of one another.

But that was it.

And now this…

The potion—which she figured out to be her subconscious—was gleefully taunting her.

'_You like this,' _it would tell her. '_You're a sad, deprived little girl who's just __**aching **__for someone to pay her the time of day…'_

Well, she wasn't so sure about _deprived_. She wasn't **that **old, after all. But still…

Was she deprived? She wasn't sure if she'd classify herself like that just yet. Put out, definitely. Maybe—

Hey, why was she even listening to the potion! Katara was in control of the potion, not the other way around!!

"Zuko," she said calmly, biting her lip when his answer was to languidly pull his wet shirt over his head and toss it onto the shore. His lean chest glistened in the moonlight. "I…uh…" _completely just lost my composure. _

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of rippling, wet biceps and flat, washboard abs. "Zuko," she tried again. "I really don't think we need to be—_ah!_"

She cried out as Zuko, in all of his damn curiosity, rushed forward and cupped her breast in his unbelievably warm hand. She flushed a deep purple. She'd been so focused on finding a way _out _of this that she didn't even remember to protect her…uh, assets! Oh dear…

Zuko slowly moved his hand up, the weight feeling foreign in his hand. It was unheard of for a Prince, but he'd never even _seen _a girl's chest, much less touched it. So when he stumbles upon a naked waterbender who is so out of it that she's leaving her body wide open and vulnerable…well what the hell else is he supposed to do? She didn't seem to mind anyway, since she seemed to be moaning…

'_I am NOT moaning right now,' _Katara thought in denial, even as a throaty sigh escaped her throat as he experimentally ran his finger over her nub. '_I am completely…ah…not…into this…right now…'_

And then Zuko found it fit to slide his fingers across her stomach, and then lower…lower…

"AH!" she screamed, not in pleasure but in pure shock. Reacting violently to the way he had suddenly slid his fingers _inside _of her—hey, that was her private spot, she swung her arm and whipped him viciously across the chest with a water whip. He stumbled back in shock, and the potion's hold drained from his eyes while his eyebrows screwed together in pain.

Katara stumbled back, covering her breasts and glaring at the teen before her.

His expression was so plainly wounded that it made her backtrack.

Zuko was the enemy. Prince Zuko deserved to be hurt, beaten, abandoned. That's the mantra she told herself every night to try and ward off the agonizing guilt of having to constantly fight him and usually leaving him on the ground after she was done. Usually after a fight, after she'd won, she could at least run away from him before the guilt caught up to her and choked her. At least then she wouldn't have to look into his eyes.

Then he deserved it, she would ration.

But this time was different.

He didn't deserve it. Not really.

Zuko was staring at her and she could see in his eyes that he truly didn't comprehend why she would hit him. She had been moaning, hadn't she? Didn't she want him? Didn't she want to feel his touch?

Katara bit her lip.

She experimentally took a step toward him. The movement seemed to have awoken Zuko from his stupor and suddenly he looked very irate.

She _hit _him.

Even in his state he registered it as an attack.

She saw his hands glow and watched as the light traveled up to the juncture at his elbow. She could see the steam rising off of it, and even from her distance she knew they could melt iron. With a terrible hiss he rushed toward her, and she was slammed against the shore, his arms on either side of her. The heat was close to searing her.

She looked up into his eyes. He looked as angry as ever, and yet there was confusion and desperation behind that. Why? Why hit me, water bender? Are you just using me for your little games?

Am I just being used again?

Katara felt horrified. Had she actually _hurt _him? No, it wasn't possible. He'd been struck, much deeper, by her water whip before. This was just a shallow cut, and yet he looked more agonized than she'd ever seen him.

The compassionate side of her was suddenly stirred to act, despite the message of 'he's the enemy!' being ingrained into her memory.

She had to do something…

Suddenly she was looking at his wound with much curiosity…

Slowly, as to not alert him, she looked up at him with soft blue eyes and smiled tentatively. He scowled down at her. His eyes widened as she stuck her tongue out and gently dipped it against his wound. His arms cooled down somewhat, his anger slowing being replaced by curiosity.

When she felt his muscles go lax she continued, pressing her tongue completely against the wound and running her tongue's leathery texture against it, removing the blood. It tasted funny to Katara but it wasn't foreign; ironically, it was the man in front of her that usually made her taste her own blood. She was use to the smell, look, and taste of it.

But never had she actually tasted somebody else's.

Zuko was watching her head move hypnotically over his chest and eventually gave in. His arms stopped glowing and he wrapped his arms around Katara, holding her head to him. Her tongue was soft and small and wet, and she was obviously trying to placate him by cleaning his wound. It was weird, when he thought about it—a female licking off his blood. Yet she seemed sincere about it, and no one had ever cared enough before.

She looked up after a while, her lips stained a deep mahogany. Zuko cupped some water in his hands and slowly ran it over her lips and chin, washing away his blood.

Then he kissed her.

Zuko kissed like she would have figured he would—with frightening passion and intensity that only befitted a fire bending Prince. He held her head in place, tasting her fully and extracting whatever sweetness she contained. She didn't struggle; instead she wrapped her thin arms around his neck and tugged him closer, rubbing her bare chest against his.

He groaned, pushing his lower body against her and rocking her against the shore. She whimpered, feeling an intense pressure, like a rock, pushing against her core. Zuko used her momentary surprise to his advantage and delved into her mouth with his tongue.

When he pulled back a string of saliva fell from their connected lips and slid down Katara's chin. She rubbed it off in a daze.

He ran his tongue down her neck, making her suddenly giggle. Heavens, she felt drunk. And it felt so good. All of the resistance that she had…well, he had washed it away with one single kiss.

"Zuko?" she purred, rubbing the nape of his neck with her long, delicate fingers. She smiled at him.

"Hm?" His hand moved from the shore and cupped her breast, flicking the nub with his thumb. She moaned, momentarily forgetting her thoughts.

"…play with me." She finally gasped.

He finished what he was doing with her neck—he'd given her a hickey—and looked up to smirk at her.

"Play with me, what?" The potion had regained it's hold on him, and coupled with the insane amount of alcohol, he was definitely feeling more daring than he ever would. Which is why he found it fit to taunt her, especially after the stunt she pulled by whipping him.

"Huh? Ah!" He had pinched her bottom lightly under the water, making her squeal. "I don't under—"

He glared at her.

"Cut it out," she pleaded, because she had this heat between her legs and he'd just removed the pressure from it, making it feel lonely and barren. He was slowly pulling away from her and at the moment she couldn't stand to _not _have any contact—

"Prince," she cried suddenly.

Zuko arched an eyebrow, sliding closer to her again. "What was that?"

"PRINCE! Please play with me!" she cried, cheeks flushing.

Zuko smirked, seeming satisfied. He grabbed her wet arms and slid them around his neck, making sure she was gripping him firmly. Then he used his arms and grabbed her bare bottom, lifting her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his trim waist. He grinned down at her and pushed their bodies against the shore.

Katara relished the contact. His skin was warm, and there was that _thing _under the water that was rubbing against her again, giving her a nice sensation. Oh, the only thing that was separating them was his cursed pants…

As good as it felt, though, she still wanted something else. Something to raise her endorphins and make her even more excited.

She wiggled around in his arms.

"Zuko," she whined insistently. When he lightly bit her neck, she added, "_Prince _Zuko. I want to play."

Zuko stroked her hair. "Why?"

"Because I want to."

He ran his tongue along her earlobe. "Does fighting turn you on, Katara?"

She didn't know when he had stopped calling her water bender and changed to Katara, but she didn't have time to think about that. She groaned as he mouth closed over her earlobe, sucking on it hard. "Yes."

He removed his mouth from her body with a breathy sigh. He slowly pulled away from her, robbing her of his warmth. She let herself sink lower into the cold water, wanting to call him back and yet wondering what he was going to do.

A giant fireball flew past her suddenly, nearly missing her ear by less than an inch. Zuko stood back, his right hand glowing and a distinctive smirk playing on his lips.

Just like old times.

She threw a few icicle daggers at him in retaliation, too small to cause him any real harm. She didn't want to damage him, after all; just get him awfully randy and excited. He melted most the daggers and caught the last in his hand, snapping it in half. Then he smirked at her and strode toward her, having every intention to hold her in place and ravage her on the spot.

But Katara wasn't ready to give in yet.

Zuko was in an inch of grabbing hold of Katara when she commanded up an impressive tidal wave. With a frown—she really was taking this overboard—he sent up a wall of flames to mirror the water. The two barriers collided and exploded in a hiss of steam. The air around them became uncomfortably muggy and Katara looked like she was a little girl at a circus, smiling like a moron.

"More," she said.

"No. No more," he said back. They played…for a few seconds. Now it was done. Now he wanted her to be writhing under him.

"More," she said, the potion making her angry. Her hand slapped the water and the whole lake shook.

Zuko arched an eyebrow at her.

Brave little girl.

"Come here," he commanded instead, his voice a mixture of ire and desire. She slid back until her back hit the shore, shaking her head, being as damn stubborn as he was on his worse days. He knew that if he refused to please her then she'd return it in kind. Still though, he didn't know how wise that was; he was stronger, after all.

"_Come here_."

She sneered—very haughtily, in his opinion—and held up her hands, freezing the water around him.

He growled.

Goddamn water bending harpie.

Just as he was about to melt it all and punish Katara for being such a tease, Katara sent her arms into the air with a ferocious motion. Suddenly the frozen water beneath him spiked upward, bringing him with it. Abruptly the fire prince found himself suspended in the air, encased up to the neck in ice and battling a very uncomfortable, cold, and painful squeeze on his manhood.

Zuko wasn't sure what the hell the potion was doing to her at the moment, but he knew that if there was one thing he didn't want it was frostbite on his dick.

Katara gave him a suggestive smile and scampered to shore, effectively mooning him in the process.

Ah.

That did it.

When Katara glanced back, Zuko's skin had begun to glow and steam. With an agitated roar, he broke the ice crystals around his upper body, melting the ones on his lower body with ease. Whoops. Katara should've known that wouldn't have worked….hadn't she tried that on him before? Not with great results.

Before Katara could even think of running to the safety of her friends, Zuko sent up a crescent of fire, which caught the grass and arched around Katara's body. It hissed and crackled at her and the only way away from the licking flames was straight into Zuko's chest.

She backed into him fearfully and instantly felt his iron grip wrap around her body. He squished her against his lean form, his firm muscles biting into her bare back painfully.

Maybe she had been in charge before, but now she could tell that Zuko was angry with her coyness and was definitely looking for her to pay him back in full.

He growled behind her.

"You're such a fucking tease, water bender," he hissed. He clamped one arm across her chest as his other shot into the water, cupping her womanhood and making her squeal. He continued as she started to writhe against him. "You tell me you want to play with me and you act like you need sex like a starving man needs food, and yet you insult me by trying to escape my grasp.

"Zuko," she gasped as he slid two fingers inside of her. "P-please…I was just p-playing…"

"—and then you're smothered in that damn scent," he said, using his thumb to rub firmly against her. "And you know damn well I can't resist it."

He angled his hand so his fingers went in even deeper. She cried out and struggled, not sure if she wanted him to do more or if she wanted him to let her go completely.

"You toyed with me, water bender," he purred violently into her ear. "So you'll have what you came here for. One way or another, I'm going to have you, and I'm going to give it to you so hard you won't be able to walk the next day. And all of your goody-two-shoes little friends will know it was me because I'll make sure you're covered in my scent."

Katara flushed and dug her nails into Zuko's back as he started to mercilessly delve into her. She barely had time to comprehend his words when something hit her, hard. She arched her back up as her legs twitched violently, and she let out a strangled yell, not really sure what was happening but positive it was the most overpowering thing she'd ever felt. Most curious of all, the pleasure seemed to stem right from the area between her legs.

She eventually slid down from her crest of happiness, and when she hit bottom she went lax against Zuko's wet and warm chest. He held her there for a moment, making her feel sleepy but secure.

"That felt good," she finally murmured. She was completely sated but Zuko seemed to be trying to shake her awake.

"What is it?" Katara looked up into Zuko's face and saw his eyes clouded with desperation. He was gripping her arms tightly, and although he was doing a fine job of fighting off his need it was obvious he wouldn't be able to hold off for long.

"Oh," she said, feeling a little dumb. "Guess I should take care of you now, huh?" For some reason, she was in one of the best moods she'd had in a long time.

Katara started by softly kissing his jaw line down to his neck. She rained butterfly kisses down his wet chest and stopped by one of his pink, pert nipples. She stared at it for a moment before finally taking the nub in her mouth, making him jump. He didn't resist her though, and even pulled her closer, sliding his hands into her braid and slowly undoing it.

Katara abandoned his swollen nub as he freed her hair. She traveled down to his navel and had to crouch now, and she let her bare legs rub against Zuko's clothed ones underneath the water. She placed kisses on his abs, and gently nuzzled his belly button. Then she kissed the area underneath his navel, felt the soft black hairs there, grabbed onto his waistline—

"What the hell are you doing?" Zuko finally cried, because her mouth was really close to his arousal and she was making it much, much worse. Unfortunately though, as much as he was aware of what she was _probably _going to do, he still wasn't completely comfortable with it. He _was _a virgin, after all.

Katara glanced up with a frown, the potion swirling deep within her conscious. Huh? What was wrong? She didn't understand why he was suddenly acting so shy. Wasn't he the one that wanted it the most, after all?

The potion growled. '_Damn it, this boy is strong. Most men can't resist me. But he…he's good.' _

Good? What the hell was that suppose to mean? Unfortunately, Zuko's embarrassment was rubbing off on Katara, and she quickly kicked the potion in the balls—_hey!—_before it could make her any more sexual than she was already being.

"Zuko, are you a virgin?" Katara finally asked. Absentmindedly she rested her lips against the side of his navel. He had soft skin and smelled yummy.

Zuko cringed, and immediately his mind went on the offensive.

What? Who did she think he was talking to? He was a goddamn prince, after all. How dare she insinuate that! Just because it was true…hey, that didn't give her a right to ask questions like that! Goddammit!

"Suck me," he suddenly commanded, fire burning in his eyes. Huh, show her that he definitely was NOT a virgin.

Katara blushed. "What? Hey, I asked you—"

As if to prove his point, Zuko grabbed for the waistline of his pants and was all but about to fully expose himself with her face right there….but he stopped.

Darn.

Katara noticed this.

"You stopped."

"No shit."

"So you're a virgin, then."

He grunted noncommittally. "What's it to you?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "_A lot_, considering you want to screw my brains out. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Ask about your partner's sexual history _before _you hit the sack?"

Zuko shrugged. Were they really talking like this while she was crouched in front of his arousal? Really, they found the most uncomfortable times to have deep conversations…

"That's only when you actually care about the other person," Zuko said.

Katara winced. Ouch. Well, what had she been expecting? A warm and cuddly Zuko? Just because he wanted her body didn't mean he wanted to marry her. She should've expected that. She should've known that just because it was warm in his arms didn't mean he wanted her there all the time.

But still.

It'd be nice if the dirtbag showed at least a semblance of concern.

"I hate you," she said suddenly, and she stood up. She wanted to leave, but she was suddenly too embarrassed to even do that. It would be yet another time that a guy rejected her and left her all alone.

Zuko, surprisingly, was quiet.

He turned to her.

"What?" Katara asked, irritated now. See if he ever got a chance at fucking her, ever. She was pissed now.

He looked at her very seriously—surprising, considering he was drunk. "You know…"

"What?"

"…if you were a fire bender I'd take you with me and treat you like a queen."

She gaped at him.

He moved closer.

"I'd give you necklaces made out of obsidian found in the deepest volcanoes. I'd buy you chests of dresses made out of the finest silk in the whole world. I'd feed you gourmet food every night. I'd let you keep any exotic pet you'd ask for, even a….."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Zuko captured her chin and tugged her in for a slow kiss. "Because it seemed like you needed to be told that."

She frowned into his lips, resisting him, not wanting it, because she was still very upset with him. Zuko's lips were naturally warm though, and after awhile she felt her resistance, yet again, start to crumble. It seemed it was useless to try and fight him.

Zuko was different now. He wasn't growling at her and grabbing at her like he did before. Now he was gentler as he languorously kissed her and ran his hands up and down her arms.

"Mmm," she sighed against his mouth.

Katara had traveled the whole world looking for a guy with at least some semblance of honor and she found none. And yet here, right in front of her eyes, was a man telling her he'd give her anything. Standing around in the forest naked, fighting off sexual advances, listening to idealistic speeches, fighting off more sexual advances…hey, didn't get more romantic than that, did it?

"Zuko?"

"Hhn."

"I think I like you."

Zuko chuckled and slowly broke their kiss. "No, water bender, you don't. You like the idea of a man catering to you and paying attention to your needs and feelings. And…" his hand slipped beneath the water and gently stroked between her legs, "I think you like what I have to offer, too."

Katara gave off a silly smile then. Back with Sokka and Aang at dinner, she believed that she wasn't going to smile again for quite a while. But it was none other than the grouchy fire prince that brought it out of her. Of course, he wasn't so much grouchy as he was seductive now…

"Are you going to sleep with me?" Katara asked.

"One way or another, yes."

She smiled again, and Zuko, for the world, couldn't figure out why. He just told her he was going to have sex with her, whether it was consensual or not. And yet here she was, grinning like a fool. Maybe she was a closeted nymphomaniac? Either way…

…she was rather pretty when she smiled.

"Zuko?"

"What now?"

"Can we pretend we're in love?"

"Do you always ask this many questions before you do it?" Zuko questioned.

"Just answer the question."

Zuko sighed. "You can pretend we're whatever the hell you want, so long as it turns you on…"

"OK."

Katara pulled away from him, moving back toward the shore while still facing him. His arm shot out and grabbed her, but she just smiled at him.

"Don't worry," she purred, and even he could see the potion darkening her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

He loosened his grip on her and she backed up against the shore. She grabbed behind her and hitched herself up on the edge, her legs dangling over into the water. Her wet skin glistened in the moonlight and she smiled at him. She waggled her finger at him.

"Come here."

And if to convince him, she opened up her legs, giving him a full view of what was in between.

"Shit," Zuko groaned, recognizing his own ache. Maybe in a sane state he would've seen the danger of the situation—a water bender and a fire bender eloping—but by then he was far from being reasonable. With the potion making his desire unbearable and the rum making his sensibilities knotted and useless, he was very, very vulnerable to Katara. And with her sitting there with her legs open while she played with her breasts….well, damn it.

He waded over to her without a thought, like a loyal dog does to his master.

Their bodies wrapped around each other as Zuko moved between her legs and started to kiss her deeply, drawing from her and making her squirm. Somehow in between their heated kisses Zuko managed to slide off his pants, leaving him naked in the water. The water level rocked subtly around his waist so Katara couldn't see his manhood.

Of course, she'd be foolish to think it wasn't there and it wasn't aroused at all.

The next time he kissed her he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. His slick arms clung to her wet skin as he lifted her off the grassy bank. She quickly wrapped her legs around his midsection to ease her weight off of his arms. As she did so one of his hands slid to her bottom, holding her there.

"Zuko?" she whispered. "Do you want me?"

She knew it was a redundant question, but she suddenly wanted every excuse to extract every sweet, endearing, or otherwise dirty comment from him. She didn't know when she became hungry for his voice, but now she certainly was.

Instead of answering her in words though, Zuko simply loosed his grip on her, causing her to slip further down his body. Katara let out an unconcealed squeal as she felt something enter her slightly and give her a sting. She squeezed her legs against him painfully, deterring any further slipping from happening.

"Zuko I—"

"—if you were offered chocolate or coal, which would you take?" Zuko interrupted her.

"Chocolate, of course," Katara said distractedly. The tip was still sunken within her and it was hurting a little.

"Exactly."

"Huh? I don't understand." She wriggled a little and gasped as this caused him to slide in even deeper. She bit her lip and clung to his broad shoulders, feeling more nervous in her life than she had ever been. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how he could stand there composed, even as he was half inside of her already.

"You're friends are like coal," he explained. "They dirty you, water bender, and they try to make you sordid and primordial like they are."

"N-nice to know that s-sex makes you a wonderful o-orator…" she stuttered out, trying to slide back up his body. He smirked, noticing her squirming movements. With ease he brought her back up and away from his length. She became eye level with him and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his neck.

Yes, she was afraid of doing it with him. At the same time though, more than anything, all she wanted to do was cling to him.

"Besides," he whispered to her. "Mangoes do not go with coal at all—"

Katara nervously wet her lips, not realizing that doing so in front of Zuko was like baiting a lion with a large piece of meat.

"—But with chocolate…" he drew his thumb on her lower lip, feeling the wetness there. His nose slid past hers so that their lips were touching, and on instinct Katara's eyes slid closed.

"…it's so much more ravishing."

He kissed her so passionately and swirled her emotions so much that she didn't even notice his movements as he carried her out of the water and onto the shore. He laid her body down beneath his on the grass, not breaking the kiss until she was nestled comfortably on the ground. He leaned back at surveyed her body in the moonlight, her blue eyes staring at him out of the dark.

Beautiful.

Katara looked ready to say something again, so he kissed her again, his wet hair dripping down his scalp. She sighed and threaded her fingers behind his neck, pulling him closer. He slowly nudged her legs open with his knee, acknowledging her sigh as he did so. She sighed against his lips as he settled himself between her legs, and even wrapped her legs around his waist again in response.

He broke the kiss and dragged his lips across her neck, tasting the wetness there and relishing in it. Her arms left his neck as he proceeded to give her another hickey on the opposite side of her neck. Katara slid her arms underneath his armpits and clung lightly to his shoulder blades.

After playing with her breasts for a few moments Zuko moved back up to her mouth and kissed her soundly. One of his arms slid beneath her leg and lifted it up slightly, opening her further. He leaned over her on one forearm and looked deeply into her eyes. She could see his honey-golden pupils shining down at her and it made her feel oddly comforted.

He kissed her again, sliding his tongue deep into her mouth.

"Do you want me?" Katara repeated her question from earlier as they broke away, panting.

His eyes swirled with lust. "Yes."

Then he thrust into her.

Katara could've taken an arrow to her womanhood and she was sure she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. For a few moments all she could do was writhe and claw at Zuko's back, making him hiss. She was sure she was crying, and Zuko was trying in vain to kiss away her tears.

She wasn't sure when Zuko decided he simply couldn't comfort her through kisses alone, but soon she noticed he was slowly moving within her. At first it hurt constantly and felt uncomfortably foreign, but soon the ache started to fade, only to be replaced by a new one. Her grip on his back faded into a gentler hug as she spread herself move to give him more access.

Zuko was a very sensual and encouraging lover, Katara found, as he whispered dirty things in her ear and moaned out in earnest when she would experimentally jerk her hips upward as he thrust downward.

The pleasure was amazing, but she belatedly began to notice that Zuko seemed to be tiring. He was drunk, after all, and that seemed to be negatively affecting his stamina. With a coy grin and a short peck on his nose, Katara pushed on Zuko's chest and quickly flipped them so that she was straddling his hips. At first he seemed confused, but when she bent down and rubbed her chest against his he relished the change.

Katara nor Zuko could remember how long they continued, and how many different positions were tried (some failed) after that. All they knew was that by the time Zuko wrapped her arms tightly around Katara's body and shot something hot and warm inside of her, the sky was starting to reveal it's first dim rays of sunlight.

Zuko collapsed into a heap beside Katara's body, covered in either sweat or the remains of the lake water—probably both. Katara managed to crawl across his body and nuzzle her face into his chest. He didn't push her away, and instead wrapped his arms around her thin waist.

They laid there for a while, in which they both became aware that the potion was whispering it's goodbyes. They had fulfilled their "fantasy" and now were given back the gift of free will.

But Katara had to wonder, was that all the potion's doing?

She frowned slightly, listening to Zuko's heartbeat as it tried to find a slower tempo. Wasn't she in her right mind when she let him carry her onto shore? And the many times she could've unleashed the full force of her water bending and defeated him, like always? And yet she never really ran away from him; instead, she actually embraced him. Several times. In different positions.

Katara flushed. Oh boy, what had she done?

"Zuko?" she asked tentatively, after she was sure they'd laid there for an hour. The day was becoming brighter, and she was becoming more and more self-conscious of her nude body lying on the grass with his.

"What is it?" he asked, looking down at her. He was absentmindedly threading his fingers through her hair and looking down at her with unconcealed sincerity. Her stomach twisted in knots. How could she say what she knew she had to say?

She couldn't just lie here with him until Aang and Sokka found her. And she couldn't just keep listening to Zuko's heartbeat while fire soldiers were probably stomping through the forest looking for their lost Prince at the moment.

She wanted to. But she couldn't.

"We—" she started, and then utterly failed to complete the sentence. What, what was she supposed to say? We were drunk so it didn't matter? Forget about it? _Nice fuck_? Every single sentence she thought of came out sounding terribly crude and hurtful.

She sighed. But that's what it was, wasn't it? They had sex, when they had no real right to.

"Katara?" Zuko asked, when she didn't respond. He knew what she wanted to say, of course he did, he wasn't a moron, but he wasn't going to make her say it. Because honestly, he didn't want to hear it any more than she wanted to say it.

He knew that it had been an unspoken agreement that what they did was purely out of physical need. They didn't have feelings for each other. They weren't looking for any commitment afterward. All they had wanted was the pleasure of that moment, and that was it.

Right?

Zuko didn't want to admit it, but maybe he needed more than just a one night stand.

Katara had treated him nice enough, hadn't she? She hadn't rebuffed his advances in the end. She'd held him. She'd even said she _liked _him.

And now…now…

It was ridiculous, a fucking wussy thing to do, but Zuko was starting to think he wouldn't _mind _having Katara around for more than just a…single night of passion. Because for once, there was a girl who didn't reject him. She didn't walk out on him like all the others.

Yet, anyway.

"I think," Katara was trying to say to him. She looked as vulnerable as he felt. "We can't—" she shook her head, and he was shocked to see that she was sprouting frustrated tears. "Oh Zuko," she said brokenly. "This can't happen again!"

Zuko grimaced and looked away from her pained face, hating the words that she had to say. He didn't want to hear that. Because the night before…it had literally been one of the best nights of his life. And now? It would just fade into a memory.

Katara slowly started to push herself up into a sitting position, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. He wasn't _allowed _to stop her anymore.

"I enjoyed last night," she said, and she was suddenly crying. "I really did. But we—we're—we're…two different people. And I'm—" she made jerky motions with her hands toward the water. "You know. And you…you're a fire bender. And a Prince…and—" her voice cut off in a sob.

Zuko bit his lip and pulled himself up into a sitting position too. He grabbed his pants, still damp, and slowly slid them on, nodding as Katara continued to stutter out her message.

"We're too young," she was saying. "And I—well, you know…" she quieted her sobs for a second as she thought. "Zuko?" she finally said. He stopped pulling on his boots and looked at her. She was still completely naked, making it harder for him to even listen to what she was saying. She scooted closer and placed her hand over his. "If I'm…you know…"

He simply nodded.

She continued. "I would never…." she bit her lip as she tried to figure out what she was trying to say. "I would never…kill…it. Even though it would be your…child…I still wouldn't hate it." She glanced up nervously at Zuko, but Zuko's expression was unreadable. "I mean," she tried again, "this is only if, but if I was…pregnant…"

Zuko reached out and cupped her cheek. "I'd try to take care of you the best I could," he finally said, despite all of his doubts that that would be even remotely possible. After the avatar found out about their rendezvous—and he was sure the monk would—there was no way that the young boy would probably let him get within a mile of the female water bender.

"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I know…it's all my fault…"

Zuko's brow furrowed then. "What?"

Katara sniffled and slowly reached back for her undergarments. She wrapped them back around her as if she was in a daze.

"I accidentally dumped some…love potion…or something…all over me," she began. "And it makes the wearer irresistible. And so, you see, it's all my fault."

Zuko almost laughed. "Stupid water bender," he said softly, lightly smacking her over the top of the head. "It wasn't you fault. _I _was drunk."

She paused, dress in hand, and a small smile graced her lips. "We're even, then," she said softly.

The Prince shrugged. This hurt, but he had to say it. He had to cut this off before he got too attached to a girl that was supposed to be his enemy.

"You should get going," he said. He grabbed his shirt and slowly stood up. It was already heating up, thanks to the proximity of the equator.

Katara slowly pushed herself up, sliding her dress down her hips and concealing her body from him. He internally sighed. Damn it.

"Yeah," she said softly. But instead of moving, she just stood there in front of him.

Zuko frowned, Shit, was she going to make him do it? Would she make him treat her like an asshole so she'd try her hardest to forget about last night? He didn't want to do that—**at all**—but if it was the only way to chase her away and protect her from the soldiers he knew were coming…

"Run, water bender," he warned.

She bit her lip. "Is this how it's going to be now?" she looked up at him and sniffled.

He sighed.

"For now," he finally said. Then, "maybe…someday…I'll be able to give you what I said I would last night."

"But you said that was only if I was a fire bender," she pointed out.

Zuko smiled softly at her, making her heart flutter.

"Maybe in the future that won't matter," he said softly. And then he grabbed her head and pulled her in for a kiss. He filled the kiss with all the confusing feelings that were building up inside of him. He kissed her in what he hoped would satisfy her for quite some time.

When they broke away, Katara was looking dazed, while Zuko looked wistful.

"Now go," he commanded her. She nodded numbly, looking torn.

As the beautiful girl started to walk away from the very confused and agonized Prince, he called back to her.

"Katara?"

"Yes?" Damn it, she looked way too hopeful for that to be healthy.

He softened his tone. "Please, don't try to seek me out, got that?"

She nodded, understanding his warning.

She disappeared into the line of foliage just as four fire nation soldiers fell into the clearing.

OooO

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

Sokka continued to holler and rant at her, tugging at his hair and stomping his feet in typical Sokka-fashion. Aang was acting in a more reserved way, checking her body for injuries and looking deep into her eyes every once in a while.

"I went for a walk," was her repeated answer.

Of course, that was always accompanied by an unconcealed smile, leading both boys to believe that there was much more than just "a walk" going on.

"Are you _sure _you're not brainwashed?" Aang asked waving a hand in front of her face. Katara swatted it away.

"_I'm sure_."

Sokka whipped out his pipe and fake moustache from knapsack, glaring at his sister. "You! Then if you just went for a walk, why are your clothes wet?"

Katara shrugged noncommittally. "Did some water bending on the way back."

Sokka's eyes bulged. "FOR EIGHT HOURS!?"

She shrugged again. "I told you, this is a big forest. I got lost, OK?"

Aang leaned in close to her and frowned, scrunching his nose. "Katara, you smell funny."

"_And all of your goody-two-shoes little friends will know it was me because I'll make sure you're covered in my scent." _

It was harder to hide the smile now.

"Oh, that," she said. "I had some peculiar things to eat on the way back, too."

Sokka pointed his fake pipe at her while Aang leaned in to her face.

"What KIND of things?" Sokka demanded.

And the water bender named Katara simply stood up and stretched, walked over to the window, leaned against it, and smiled.

"Chocolate mangoes," she said.

OooO

A/N: Thank you for all that reviewed all those that took the time to read my story!

**Look:** This is NOT the end. I will be writing a small sequel to this, in which both Zuko and Katara have to deal with the consequences of what they did. I will eventually post it, so please be patient!


End file.
